When it feels like no one cares about you, remember this: the Lord cares about you.

The Psalmist continues to emphasize the importance of ‘prayer’ in our battle against ‘evildoers’: ‘My prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers’ (Psalm 141:5). We pray that their ‘wicked deeds’ will not succeed. We pray that they will see ‘the error of their way’, returning to the Lord and being ‘led in the paths …

The history of God’s people is like a rollercoaster.

The history of God’s people, under their various kings, is like a rollercoaster. There are high-points - “They would be the Lord’s people” (2 Kings 11:17). These high-points are often followed by low-points - “Joash did what the Lord considered right... but the illegal places of worship weren’t torn down” (2 Kings 12:2-3). The reign …

The human situation, the divine solution

Jeremiah 31:15-20 The human situation, the divine solution  * “She refuses to be comforted” (Jeremiah 31:15). Often, we dig a hole for ourselves.  * “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears” - This is what “the Lord” says to us (Jeremiah 31:16). If anyone else says this to us, we might well …

God is calling us back to Himself.

ZEPHANIAH 1:1-2:7  -  ‘The great Day of the Lord is near - near and coming quickly... That Day will be a Day of wrath... I will bring distress upon the people... because they have sinned against the Lord’ (1:14-17). This is God’s Word of warning. He is calling us back to Himself: ‘Seek the Lord …

Help us, Lord, to give a friendly welcome.

Help us, Lord, to "give a friendly welcome" (Hebrews 11:31). What a difference the friendly welcome makes! It's the word of encouragement that makes us feel loved. It's the act of kindness that lets us know that love is more than words. Lord, You are our Father. Help us to be like You - "when …

A wonderful day

It was a wonderful day. It was a day of resurrection. It was a day of revelation. It was a day of rejoicing. Jesus came to two of his followers. He spoke with them. He spoke about the things that really matter. It was a day they would never forget. They had met the risen …

A day of great blessing

It was a day of great blessing. Jesus came to his disciples. He spoke to them of his death and resurrection: "The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day" (Luke 24:46). This was not the end of the blessing. This was just the beginning. The blessing was to be shared: …

What a day it was!

What a day it was! It was the beginning of something new. It was the start of something really special. It was the day of the Spirit. It was the day of his power. It was a day of salvation. Peter preached. This was more than Peter. This was the power of God. "I will …

We read about the great days.

We read about the great days. We wonder, "Is there anything else?" Is there something more? Do we have a future? Don't think of these great days as "long, long ago, when life was very different." Have we outgrown the need to listen to Peter,s earnest appeal: "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation" (Acts 2:40)? …

Why do we look back to the past?

Why do we look back to the past? We look. We learn. We remember what our Saviour has done for us. We have hope for the future. When the going gets tough, we must remember this: "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement …

The Scriptures take us back to the past. They do not leave us there.

The Scriptures take us back to the past. They do not leave us there. We learn about "what will take place later" (Revelation 1:19). Jesus has come. This is the past. Jesus will come. This is the future. Some tell us that this world is all that there is. God's Word tells us something very …

Keep On Worshipping The Lord.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good works, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). It's great that we are able to encourage one …

The great promise of the Gospel and the strong warning of the Gospel

We have the great promise of the Gospel. In Christ, there is full salvation for all who come to God through Him. Alongside this great promise, there is also the strong warning of the Gospel. We read the solemn words of Psalm 11:6 – “On the wicked he will rain fire and brimstone; a scorching …

Devotion To The Lord Needs To Be Renewed Day-By-Day.

Genesis 19:1-29In Genesis 3, we read of humanity’s fall into sin. Here, we see the awfulness of human sin and the awesomeness of divine judgment. We must take God with the utmost seriousness. If we refuse to take Him seriously, He will continue to take us seriously - in His judgment! Sin leads to judgment …

Sometimes, Lord, we’re so busy, looking at the opposition that we fail to see the opportunity.

Sometimes, Lord, we're so busy, looking at the opposition that we fail to see the opportunity. Sometimes, the opposition can have some success - "the work on the House of God came to a standstill" (Ezra 4:24). Whenever Satan attacks Your work, You raise up Your servants to keep the work going: "Zerubbabel ... arose …

God has so much blessing for us – what else can we do but rejoice in Him?

Psalm 1:1-6 The first Psalm contrasts two ways - the way of the Word and the way of the world, the way of blessing and the way of judgment. Encouraging us to build upon the solid foundation of God's Word, the opening Psalm sets the tone for what is to follow. To whet your appetite …

Noah and the flood

Genesis 6:1-8 The story of Noah is the story of God’s grace - ‘Noah found grace’ (8). Noah lived in very difficult times (5-7), yet ‘Grace found Noah’. His testimony could be summed up: ‘Amazing grace...I once was lost but now am found’ (Mission Praise, 31). Expanding on the thought of 5:29 - ‘this one …

The love of Christ: reaching out to us, and reaching out, through us, to other people

Christ died "not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). This is something which we, in the church, must never forget. When we are tempted to shut out 'the big, bad world', we must remember - Christ died "not for our sins only but also for …

"If you have died with Christ to the world’s way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live?" (Colossians 2:20).

This is a very good question. It's a question that needs to be asked. It's a question that must be answered. May our answer be, 'We will live Christ's way - not the world's way' - "As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Put up with each …

Lord, help us to become “mighty” for You.

We read, Lord, of "the mighty men of the armies", "the mighty men who helped ... in war" (1 Chronicles 11:26; 1 Chronicles 12:1). Lord, You're teaching us about spiritual warfare: "We are not carrying on a worldly war ... the weapons of our warfare are not worldly ... the weapons of our warfare ... …

God will surely visit you.

"God will surely visit you" (Exodus 13:19). Sometimes, when we’re reading the Scriptures, there are some words that just jump out at us. We say to ourselves, “That was just what I needed to read.” We say to God, “Thank You, Lord for that Word. You’ve spoken Your Word to me. It was just the …

The love of God

"This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). As I read these words, my thoughts went to the words of John 3:16 - "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only …

By the grace of God

"But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy ... " (Titus 3:4-5). The love of God is greater than our sin. Immediately before this wonderful declaration of the greatness of God's love for us, we have a …

Standing!

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the House of the Lord.’ Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:2). * Standing – in the House of the Lord! In life’s many trying times, we are put to the test – Will we stand? Will we fall? * …

Thank God For This And That And… Jesus!

Genesis 21:1-21 We have here the contrast between Isaac, the child of promise, and Ishmael, the fruit of unbelief. Ishmael was born as a result of impatience, the failure to wait upon the Lord. In the birth of Isaac, the initiative belonged with God, and the glory belonged to Him. In Christ, we are the …

‘He’s a great guy.’ We like it when people say this kind of thing about us.

2 Samuel 16:1-23 'He's a great guy.' We like it when people say this kind of thing about us. It makes us feel good about ourselves. What do You think of us, Lord? Yours is the one opinion that really matters. What does it mean to be truly 'great'? Do we want to be called …

The blessings that we receive from the Lord

"This is what he promised us - eternal life" (1 John 2:25). What a wonderful promise the Lord Jesus has given to us. He says to us, "I go to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to be with me so that where I am, there you may be …

Lord, Your Word brings light into our lives.

‘The entrance of Your words gives light’ (Psalm 119:130). Lord, Your Word brings light into our lives. Sadly, many people ‘love darkness rather than light’. They  refuse to ‘come to the light’. They prefer to remain in the darkness. They refuse to listen to what You are saying to them through Your Word. Then, when things are not …

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 104:1 "Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 104:1). We have come here to praise the Lord. Why do we praise the Lord? "Lord my God, You are very great." God is great in power. His power can impress us, but it will not save us until we are touched by a special power - the power …

Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross.

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). We read these words, and our thoughts move forward to the words of 1 John 1:7 - "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin." How wonderful this is! Hallelujah!  What a Saviour! Here's a song which, I hope, will …

The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting or reviving the soul.

Exodus 6:13-8:32; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalm 19:7-14 There is a clear similarity between Pharaoh and Judas. Pharaoh said, “I will let you go …” (Exodus 8:28). He didn’t keep his promise. ”Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed Jesus” (Matthew 26:49). He betrayed Jesus. How are we to avoid this hypocrisy, this marked discrepancy between our words and …